Sharing the gift of literacy since 2002

Success Won’t Wait Volunteer Spotlight on: Vincenza Carrieri-Russo

As Miss Delaware USA, Vincenza promoted reading throughout the state.

Vincenza Carrieri-Russo is a 25-year-old senior at the University of Delaware where she is majoring in English. In July 2002, while still a high school senior, Vincenza co-founded Success Won’t Wait. Over the last seven years, Vincenza has helped collect over 200,000 new and gently used books and has dedicated thousands of hours to promoting literacy throughout the East Coast.

Vincenza is the Winner of the Jefferson Award for the State of Delaware.

For her outstanding community service efforts, Vincenza received the 2003 Presidential Student Service Award and a Tribute by Delaware’s Governor Ruth Ann Minner. On July 15, 2004, Vincenza was recognized nationally by President George Bush as a Daily Points of Light Award Winner and the Nation’s Volunteer of the Day. Vincenza was also named Delaware’s official state representative and recipient of the prestigious Jefferson Award. Along with representatives from across the nation, she was honored at a Gala Awards Ceremony in Washington, D.C. where she was named one of the nation’s Top 5 volunteers for 2006 and the recipient of the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Award for Community Service Benefiting Local Communities.

Founded in 2002, Success Won’t Wait, Inc. is a 501c3 non-profit literacy organization based in Wilmington, Delaware. Want to learn more about Success Won’t Wait’s literacy projects, how to donate used books in Delaware, or volunteer your time? Click on the About Us tab to learn more.